Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy and programme work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office (CO) levels, forms a continuous spectrum of deep, local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. Within this context, UNDP invests in a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages;represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data-driven including in its programme support efforts.

In order to streamline its financial and investment engagement, UNDP launched the Finance Sector Hub, a finance and innovation platform, that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the SDGs and lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy and other initiatives. The Hub is an integral part of both the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), as well as part of the GPN.

Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) is a joint initiative of the OECD and UNDP designed to support developing countries to strengthen national tax administrations through building tax audit capacity and through sharing this knowledge with other countries. Within UNDP, TIWB is managed under the Finance Sector Hub, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, New York with resource persons embedded in the UNDP offices in Pretoria, Bangkok and Amman and a back office in Istanbul.

Under TIWB, tax audit experts work alongside local officials of developing country tax administrations on tax audit-related issues. TIWB aims to strengthen tax administrations by transferring technical know-how and skills to developing countries’ tax auditors, and through the sharing of tax audit practices and dissemination of knowledge products. Apart from tax audits, TIWB is also launching a number of pilots to support countries in tax and crime investigations and effective use of automatically exchanged information.

 In view of the fast and widely-spearding COVID-19 infection, which has put significant limitations on  delivering  tax advice and support to local tax administrations, TIWB is stepping up to provide remote assistance as an alternative delivery mechanism  wherever feasible. This has underscored the importance of TIWB’s potential contributions, as countries struggle to mobilize resources for the recovery.

The core objectives of TIWB are to:

• Transfer knowledge and skills to tax administrations on tax issues;
• Strengthen the institutional capacities of tax administrations;
• Support South-South Cooperation;
• Promote best practices and peer learning;
• Help to strengthen tax compliance in developing countries.

TIWB is managed under the Finance Sector Hub (FSH) in UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), with resource persons embedded in the SDG finance teams in Pretoria, Amman and Bangkok with back office in Istanbul. 

Duties and Responsibilities

In consultation and under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, TIWB, UNDP the consultant will work to design and develop a project document for the new phase of UNDP Tax programme building on the Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) project following UNDP guidelines and template. The Consultant will work with all stakeholders within the UNDP system and outside and develop a new project document and obtain the required approvals. This should be completed in accordance with the revised UNDP Project Document template. The outline of the document is the following:

• Development challenge
• Strategy
• Results and Partnerships
• Detailed Theory of Change
• Project Management
• Results and Logical Framework
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Multi-Year Work Plan
• Governance and Management Arrangements
• Legal Context
• Risk Management
• Budget
• Resource mobilization strategy
• Project Quality Assurance Report
• Social and Environmental Screening Template
• Risk Analysis, etc

Expected outputs and deliverables:

Competencies

Corporate:

• Demonstrates commitment to the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates and promotes the highest standard of integrity, impartiality, fairness and incorruptibility in all matters affecting his/her work and status.

Organizational Awareness:

• Promotes the mission, vision and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Demonstrates corporate knowledge and sound judgment understands the structure and hierarchy of UN/UNDP, process flows throughout the organization, products and services, their measures of effectiveness, and perceptions of clients;
• Excellent knowledge of development issues on financing the 2030 Agenda and internationally-agreed development goals.

Teamwork:

• Acts as a team player facilitating team work;
• Works collaboratively with colleagues inside UN/UNDP as well as its partners and other stakeholders to pursue common goals;
• Able to work at ease in a multicultural setting.

Communication:

• Facilitates and encourages open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Delivers verbal/written information in a timely, clear, organized and easily understood manner;
• Strong communication skills and ability to listen and take direction and leadership from others.

Self-Management & Emotional Intelligence:

• Creates synergies through self-control, tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively;
• Proven ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines, and to deliver in a timely manner within cost and quality standards.

Knowledge Sharing & Continuous Learning:

• Able to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

Master's degree in economics, finance, development studies, public policy, public administration or closely related field is required;

Experience:

• At leastfive years of progressively responsible work experience related topublic finance/ taxation/ financing for sustainable development or related field is required;
• Demonstrated experience in developing project /programme documents is highly desirable;
• Strong record in advising international institutions and/ or governments on public expenditure management, taxation and financing is an advantage;
• Previous experience working with UNDP/ other UN organizations and knowledge of their approach to planning, monitoring and evaluation will be an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in English with experience in writing professional documents in English is a must;

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references;
• Links to previous work samples authored/coauthored by the candidate (sample can be submitted as pdf or provided as web links.
• Brief description of the methodology on how the consultant will proceed with the work and what are the key elements the consultant envisions should be part of the new phase of the UNDP Tax programme (Max 700 words).

• Applications without sample and methodology will not be reviewed.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around the specific and measurable deliverables of the TOR. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR, and deliverables accepted and certified by the technical manager.
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• This consultancy is a home-based assignment, therefore, there is no envisaged travel cost to join duty station/repatriation travel.
•  
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

• Criteria 1. Demonstrated experience in developing project/programme documents. Samples submitted will be evaluated  Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 10;
• Criteria 2. Strong record in advising international institutions and/ or governments on public expenditure management, taxation and financing Weight = 15 %; Maximum Points: 15;
• Criteria 3. Previous experience working with UNDP/ other UN organizations and knowledge of their approach to planning, monitoring and evaluation with experience in writing professional documents in English Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 10;
•  Criteria 4 Methodology Weight = 15 %; Maximum Points: 15

Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the top three/four shortlisted candidates for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

• Interview: Weight = 20 %; Maximum Points: 20.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

• p = y (µ/z), where
• p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
• y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
• µ = price of the lowest priced proposal
• z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

• The consultant will work under the supervision of the Global Project Manager - Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), UNDP with co-reporting to the Regional SDG Finance Advisor, Asia Pacific, UNDP.
• In the course of performing the work, the Consultant will be expected to liaise with the representative of other agencies, project co-implementers, donors, communities, local government units.
• The nature of this consultancy may entail duty travel outside of the duty station as required. In case of such travel, travel expenses will be covered by UNDP in accordance with the UNDP rules and regulations.

Payment modality

• Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified above and deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.

The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

• Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs
• Annex 2 - IC Contract Template
• Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions
• Annex 4 – RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.